Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the system of classifying and naming species. When dealing with evolving creatures designed to become fit, they often fit into certain categories; and therefore, the 3DVCE community developed a taxonomic system of classifying and naming these creatures. Crawlers For a list of crawlers, go here. Crawlers shimmy across the ground with their limbs, propelling themselves forward. They do not walk, but instead, pull themselves and crawl. Flat-Bodied Crawlers For a list of flat-bodied crawlers, go here Flat-bodied crawlers work by using their flat-body and limbs to pull themselves across the ground. Their main difference with other crawlers is that they are (near) completely flat and, normally, their entire bodies pull themselves across the ground. Snails Snails are small, low-segment creatures that locomote via crawling or twitching. They are typically much smaller than other similar crawlers (e.g. they are not as long and much less complex as a flat-bodied crawler. Gravity Snails For a list of gravity snails, go here. These may or may not be able to move in high gravity, but they resist gravity breakage well and always move by twitch-cheating. They are one of the few exceptions for cheating because few other creatures can survive in high gravity and gain much fitness. Flat-Backed Gravity Snails These resemble crabs like the 1000x Gravity Snail below. Armored Gravity Snails These have a heavy shell and are more fragile because at higher gravities they may crush themselves with their shell. Jumpers Two-Armed Jumpers Front-Armed Jumpers Front-armed jumpers have forward-facing arms instead of wings and include the Scorpion and Green Bat. Not all of them jump though. Frog-Jumpers Frog-jumpers may not look like frogs, but always use their limbs in a frog-like manner. Note that while all frog-jumpers frog-jump, the reverse is not always true. Folding Trees therefore are not frog-jumpers. Mothlike is, however: the bottom wings bounce it off the ground. Winged Jumpers Winged Jumpers use two wings that may either jiggle without touching the ground to get momentum or push off of it, respectively in these videos: Flaps Long Wings Single Joint-Powered Creatures Single joint-powered creatures have one large, usually asymmetrical segment that launches the entire creature forward. An example is shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri9f8d_isg0 Because the only requirement for being a single joint-powered creature is the presence of the large segment, creatures can often have other body plans at the same time, like the final creature (at 7:41) in this video. Swimmers Swimmers survive by propelling themselves in water through various means. They are unique to water evolution. Trees For a list of trees, go here. Tree-shaped creatures resemble the dancing tree and usually have a poor sense of direction. The usual form of movement resembles a flailing worm, with random jumps. Trees are formed from an L-system and so always demonstrate fractality if symmetric. Walkers Walkers come in many shapes and sizes, but they all use limbs to keep their main body off the ground and propel themselves forward. Worms For a list of worms, go here. Worms are, like their namesake, primarily made of repeating segments. Worms have three subgroups: normal Worms themselves are roughly cubic in segmentry; Ribbons are thin and rectangular; and Springs are long and rectangular. They can use many braintypes. Ribbons Ribbons are graceful flat sheets like this gray rolling ribbon. Springs These are arranged in either an accordion or a triangular helix. Category:Main